Critic Reviews

As entertaining as the film is – and boy, is it ever – there is still a feeling that Supersonic could have delved even deeper, as there are glaring omissions to the story.

There’s magic amid the chaos of Oasis: Supersonic, the exceptional new documentary that charts the rapid ascent of British band Oasis.

Supersonic is about the rise of the band, the period from birth to its two concerts (to 250,000 attendees) at Knebworth. And that’s fine, since Supersonic is a wildly entertaining blast of energy and bombast.

Smartly cutting off before the long decline, this is an epic story, beautifully told.

If some of the stormy relationship stories seem old, the wealth of archive material is gob-smacking: early rehearsals, gig footage and intimate phone calls.

The story of Britpop’s iconic band at its peak is told with wit, honesty and swagger. Which, given its two leads, is entirely fitting.

Where Whitecross succeeds is in the packaging of the whole story. With a running time of just over two hours, he manages to effectively compress the rather interesting story of the band’s inception and couple that with the explosive yet turbulent times of the band out on the road.

The frenetic, ad-hoc aesthetic of the visuals complements the shaggy dog brilliance of Oasis.

As a music comedy, this is up there with Popstar, but with better-defined characters. It's thick with tales of brawls, breakups, stage-walkoffs, busted hotel rooms and astonishing rudeness.

“Supersonic” is all about the big, yet it thrives on small moments.